October 21, 2024

What Is Emergency Maintenance

Maintenance jobs fall into one of four categories. Urgent, Important, Non-urgent, Unimportant. The combination of these determines how soon a technician needs to act. In this article, we’ll look at problems that fall under Urgent and Important, also termed Emergency Maintenance. What is emergency maintenance? Read further.

What is Emergency Maintenance?

Let’s discuss these four categories.

Unimportant – A repair that you usually schedule as "when you can do it." It may have a deadline but doesn’t need immediate attention.

Non-urgent – See this as a step up from the first category but a step below important. You should resolve this "before too long" and may have a deadline.

Important – This needs fast attention before further problems develop. On a typical day, you’ll start with the important jobs.

Urgent – The top tier for the single categories. This may be an emergency that popped up. It might be an issue that threatens the production line. You’d put safety hazards in this category.

You can have jobs that are important but non-urgent. When we speak of emergency maintenance we combine the Urgent and Important categories. This means top priority, get on the job immediately.

Reactive refers to waiting until a failure or breakdown happens before acting. Many companies still have this mindset. The better way brings in preventive maintenance. This reduces the incidents of emergencies.

Types of Emergency Maintenance

Refer to the categories again. You can have urgent matters that can wait until the following day. Emergencies require prompt attention.

Urgent maintenance can wait for normal business hours. This saves costs on overtime and hasty repairs.

Five common emergencies include:

• Heating/air conditioning problems as related to weather.
• Plumbing issues because of weather or aged materials.
• Electrical problems across the spectrum. Causes include power outages, faulty wiring, and malfunctions.
• Roof Leaks/Damage. Time and the elements cause these issues.
• Security Systems malfunctions or fails. The causes might relate to the above electrical problems or weather reasons.

Of course, this doesn’t comprise the definitive list of emergencies, but they show you the scope of importance.

The Importance of Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance (PM) plans can reduce emergencies. Inspections, lubrications, and cleaning, and replacement parts. The goal of PM is to spot and resolve potential problems.

Many companies find their PM strategy enhanced by using a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). The software organizes an existing plan and shows where you can make improvements.

Emergency Maintenance Examples

HVAC System Failure in a Hospital:

An emergency maintenance situation could arise if the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system in a hospital fails. The system maintains proper temperature, humidity, and air quality in sensitive areas such as operating rooms and patient wards. A sudden failure compromises the comfort of patients and impedes the effectiveness of medical equipment. It poses a risk to the health and recovery of patients.

Burst Pipe in a Data Center:

In the IT and data center industry, an emergency maintenance scenario might involve a burst pipe. Data centers house complex and sensitive electronic equipment that generates a significant amount of heat.

Cooling systems, including pipes carrying chilled water, prevent overheating. A burst pipe leads to water damage and electrical malfunctions. Another risk includes potential data loss.

Seized Engine on an Aircraft:

In the aviation industry, an emergency maintenance event could occur if an aircraft experiences a seized engine. Aircraft engines need to function at a premium for a safe and efficient flight. A seized engine results in a loss of power, jeopardizing the safety of passengers and crew.

These examples highlight how emergency maintenance situations can vary across industries. They also show the importance of an effective PM plan.

Emergency Maintenance Plan Requirements

• Prompt action. You should have a contingency plan already established. That way, you tend to problems quickly. Emergencies mean immediate action. Don't wait. Delay risks safety and further problems Of course, you can't eliminate unplanned downtime, but if an incident occurs, you should know the steps for rectifying it.
• Problem identification. Many times, you will know the problem. However, you may not know the underlying cause. Make sure you correct that issue. If you just fix the problem without getting the cause, you risk further problems.
• Problem mitigation. Emergencies tend to create their own problems. While you understand the urgency, don't rush in without contingencies. You'll have decided on some of these in your emergency response plan. However, for the unexpected, you'll have to quickly find a solution to any problems that arise.
• Repair planning/scheduling. With regular maintenance, this will fall under work order management. With emergencies, you'll know the available technicians and can move people around as necessary. Using a CMMS, you can easily navigate to available labor and inventory and schedule repairs on the spot.
• Assessment for future risks. In part, these come from your routine PMs. For the aftermath of emergency repairs, make sure you do a quality check to ensure that you've implemented not only the correct solution but the entire solution.

Again, supervisors who use CMMS software find these tasks easier to manage.

Conclusion

The importance of handling emergency maintenance cannot be overstated. You need to create an emergency plan and implement it. You also need to review it regularly to look for improvements and potential problems.

Preventive maintenance helps reduce emergencies. PM includes root cause analysis to identify and fix the origin of the failure. Inspections find problems before they become urgent and important. Proper lubrication keeps equipment operating smoothly.

Cleanings keep dirt and debris from clogging systems. Replacement parts keep assets at a baseline functionality. Effective preventive maintenance plans help reduce costs.

A CMMS helps to organize records of assets and inventory, as well as work order management. With a CMMS, maintenance teams handle emergencies with more efficiency.

Call 800-922-4336 for a free demonstration of a superior CMMS developed by Mapcon Technologies. Start down the path of maintenance management success with MAPCON.